In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. We also grow a lesser number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of plum tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘PLUMCANDY XVII’.
During 2013 we gathered fruit from several different late maturing plum trees that were located on our ranch in Le Grand, Calif. The seeds were removed, cracked, stratified and germinated as a group with the label “LATE PLUM BAGS”. They were grown as seedlings on their own root in our greenhouse and upon reaching dormancy transplanted to a cultivated area of our experimental orchard located near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). During the spring of 2016 the claimed variety was selected by us as a single plant from the group of seedlings described above. Subsequent to the origination of the present variety of plum tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproductions were true to the original tree in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is most similar to ‘Plumred XII’ plum tree (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,400) by being self-unfruitful, by blooming in the mid to late season, and by producing fruit that is somewhat oblate in shape, mostly red in flesh color, firm in texture, and very sweet in flavor, but is distinguished therefrom by having a smaller size tree and by producing fruit that is somewhat larger in size, darker red in skin color, clingstone instead of semi-freestone in type, and that matures about ten days later.